Improvement in bomb-lances



A. F. &J. H. ANDREWS.

Bomb-Lance. N 0. 22,054.

Patented Nov. 16, 1858 N.PETER$, FNOTO-IJTHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTONv D C.

UNITED STAT-Es ATENT OFFICE...

A. F. ANDREWS AND J. H. ANDREWS, OF AVON, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOMB-LANCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,054. dated November 16, 1858.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that we, A. F. ANDREWS and J. H. ANDREWS, of Avon, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Bomb-Lance for Killing Whales; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, making a part of this specification, said drawing being a longitudinal central section of our invention.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A representsa cylindrical tube of cast metal, and having a conical or pointed front end, a. B is a plug, which is screwed into the back end of the tube A, and has a recess, 1), formed in it. The plug B may be partially or wholly formed of soft metal, such as lead or Babbitt metal, and an annular groove, b, is made in its back end, the object of which will be presently explained.

In the tube Atwo grooves are made circumferentially, in which soft-metal bands cl are placed, the bands cl projecting somewhat beyond the periphery of the tube, as plainly shown in the drawing.

Within the tube A a smaller tube, C, of

brass, is fitted, the back end of said tube fitting in the recess 1) of the plug B, and the front end bearing against the inner side of the frontpart of tube A. The back end of the tube 0 is closed by a metal plug, 0. The tube 0 is perforated near its front end. The perforations are covered with paper or other suitable material, as shown at f.

Within the tube C a smaller tube, D, is placed. This tube Dis also perforated near its front end, the perforations being covered with paper, as shown at g. The front end of tube D is stopped with wax h, or other suitable substance, and a charge of powder, i, is placed therein, said charge extending as far back as the perforations. A fuse, j, is also placed within tube D, said fuse communicating with the powderi and extending nearly to the back end of the tube, which is perforated, as shown at 7:, and has a percussioncap, Z, placed on it. The front end of tube D has a spiral spring, m, attached, the front end of which is hooked over the front end of tube C. The space between the tube C and the inner side of tube A is filled with powder, a.

The missile above described is fired from a rifle or rifled gun of any proper construction. The lead bands dd beingfor the purpose of sinkin g into the grooves of the bore. and the recess 1) being made in the soft-metal breech, said breech will be expanded as the missile is fired from the rifle and forced tightly into the grooves of the bore, thereby preventing all windage, and, in connection with the bands (1 61, causing the missile to have the usual rotating motion as it is projected, and thereby insuring its accuracy.

When the ride is fired and the missile projected, the head 0 of the tube will he suddenly forced against the cap I, the spring on yielding, and the cap I will be exploded and the fuse j ignited. The perforations k serve as a vent for the cap Z, and the fuse j, during the flight of the missile through the air, conducts the fire t0 the charge 13, and ignites the same after the missile has entered the whale. The paper that encompasses the perforations g is, of course, ruptured or burned as well as the paper that covers the perforations f of tube C, and the powder a in the tube A is ignited, and the missile exploded within the body of the whale.

Ve do not confine ourselves to the precise arrangement as herein shown of the tubes C D, for their operation may be reversed. For instance, the position of the tube D, as described, may be reversed in the tube C, the

spring m being at the back end of tube 1) andthe cap Z at the front end, the cap I being exploded by the resistance offered to the missile as it enters the whale, the inertia of tube D causing the concussion. We prefer, however, the arrangement first described, and shown in the drawing, although, doubtless, several equiv alent arrangements might be used with success.

The difficulty attending the operation of the bomb-lances hitherto devised has been due to the direct firing of the fuse by the charge which projects the missile. The fuse being thereby subjected to great pressure, melted metalis "run in around the fuse to prevent the fire from passing around the fuse into the main charge of the missile. The melted metal heats the tar coating of the fuse, and penetrates to the powder thereof, preventing ignition and rendering them useless. Our improvement obviates this diffieulty, and another advantage it possesses is, that it is perfectly air and water tight, and will remain in good condition an indefinite length of time.

We do not claim encompassing the tube A with soft-metal bands d d to fit into the spiral grooves of the rifle-barrel; nor do we claim the expanding breech for preventing windage, for these are old and well-known devices usedin various projectiles; neither do we claim, broadly, the employment or use of a fuse,j, for commui'iicating fire to the charge after a certain interval of time; nor do we claim, apart from .or irrespective of the fuse, the igniting of the charge by percussive force, for there are many varieties of percussive shells, bombs, and the like in which the charge is directly ignited by percussion; but we are not aware that a fuse has ever been used in connection with parts so as to be ignited by percussion, and thereby obviate the Within-described difficulty attendin g the direct ignition of the same by the firing of the powder which projects the missile.

We claim, therefore, as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The employment of the independent movable fuse tube D, arranged within a bomblancc, substantially as herein shown and described, so that the fuse will be ignited by the motion of the missile.

A. F. ANDREWS. J. H. ANDREWS.

Witnesses )mtRLns D. MORSE, DARIUS SPERRY. 

